Computer implemented method for determining lienholder identity and making a short sale offer

Abstract

A system and method for identifying a lienholder and making a short sale offer. Examples include a user interface, in which prospective buyers may submit queries to browse listed properties and submit bids and a lienholder determination component configured to ascertain property and lien information. Further examples can include an offer submission interface through which short sale offers may ultimately be submitted.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method for managing a short sale transaction, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:
 monitoring an auction forum including one or more auctions for items of property;   detecting a short sale offer for a selected property listed on the auction forum;   in response to detecting the short sale offer, acquiring lien information for the selected property, the lien information including an account identifier for a lienholder account associated with a lienholder of the selected property;   accessing the lienholder account to determine contact information for the lienholder of the selected property, and   based on the contact information, submitting the short sale offer to the lienholder of the selected property.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising automatically determining, from the short sale offer, a property identifier for the selected property, wherein the property identifier is used to correlate the selected property with the lien information in a property listing database. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the lienholder account is stored in a lienholder database separate from the property listing database. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein determining the contact information is performed by sending a query to the lienholder database. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising dynamically managing the property listing database and the lienholder database to reflect current lienholder information for the items of property. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating and providing an auction forum interface integrated in a user network for the auction forum, the auction forum interface to enable users to browse property listings and submit bids for any of the items of property, wherein the short sale offer is submitted over the auction forum interface. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the lienholder account is unique to the auction forum, and wherein the short sale offer is automatically submitted to the lienholder of the selected property via the auction forum interface. 
     
     
         8 . A system for managing a short sale transaction comprising:
 a property listing database to store lien information corresponding to one or more items of property listed on an auction forum:   a lienholder database to store lienholder accounts including contact information for lienholders corresponding to the one or more items of property; and   one or more processors to:
 monitor the auction forum, the auction forum including one or more auctions for the items of property; 
 detect a short sale offer for a selected property listed on the auction forum; 
 in response to detecting the short sale offer, acquire lien information from the property listing database for the selected property, the lien information including an account identifier for a lienholder account associated with a lienholder of the selected property; 
 accessing the lienholder account in the lienholder database to determine contact information for the lienholder of the selected property, and 
 based on the contact information, submitting the short sale offer to the lienholder of the selected property. 
   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors determine, from the short sale offer, a property identifier for the selected property, wherein the property identifier is used to correlate the selected property with the lien information in the property listing database. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein determining the contact information is performed by sending a query to the lienholder database. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors dynamically manage the property listing database and the lienholder database to reflect current lienholder information for the items of property. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors generate and provide an auction forum interface integrated in a user network for the auction forum, the auction forum interface to enable users to browse property listings and submit bids for any of the items of property, wherein the short sale offer is submitted over the auction forum interface. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the lienholder account is unique to the auction forum, and wherein the short sale offer is automatically submitted to the lienholder of the selected property via the auction forum interface. 
     
     
         14 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:
 monitoring an auction forum including one or more auctions for items of property;   detecting a short sale offer for a selected property listed on the auction forum;   in response to detecting the short sale offer, acquiring lien information for the selected property, the lien information including an account identifier for a lienholder account associated with a lienholder of the selected property;   accessing the lienholder account to determine contact information for the lienholder of the selected property, and   based on the contact information, submitting the short sale offer to the lienholder of the selected property.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform steps further comprising:
 automatically determining, from the short sale offer, a property identifier for the selected property, wherein the property identifier is used to correlate the selected property with the lien information in a property listing database.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the lienholder account is stored in a lienholder database separate from the property listing database. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein determining the contact information is performed by sending a query to the lienholder database. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform steps further comprising:
 dynamically managing the property listing database and the lienholder database to reflect current lienholder information for the items of property.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform steps further comprising:
 generating and providing an auction forum interface integrated in a user network for the auction forum, the auction forum interface to enable users to browse property listings and submit bids for any of the items of property, wherein the short sale offer is submitted over the auction forum interface.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the lienholder account is unique to the auction forum, and wherein the short sale offer is automatically submitted to the lienholder of the selected property via the auction forum interface.